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Thanks to Ontario Teen Book Fest bloggers What a Nerd Girl Says and Fangirl Feeels for inviting us on the OTBF Blog Tour!

Today we're shining the spotlight on Sarah Skilton, author of contemporary YA novels Bruised and High & Dry. Check out her Q&A, enter the giveaway, and plan to see her in person at the Fest!



This is a FREE and UNTICKETED event!

When: Saturday May 17th, 9 am to 5 pm

Where: Colony High School 3850 E. Riverside Drive, Ontario, CA 91761

The Ontario Teen Book Fest Website: http://www.ontariotbf.com

The event is sponsored by Mrs. Nelson’s Book Fair Company. They will have books available for purchase at the event. There will also be t-shirts and posters available for purchase as well.

Their website: http://www.mrsnelsons.com/




Sarah Skilton is the author of BRUISED, which received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, and which The Horn Book called, “nuanced and honest.” Her second book, HIGH AND DRY, has been called “A dark, well-constructed mystery with a strong voice” by Kirkus. She lives in southern California with her magician husband and their young son.


RNSL: What was the first step you took to becoming a writer? Has becoming a published author been a childhood dream come true or just a recent development for you?

SS: Becoming an author has definitely been a childhood dream come true for me. When I was in elementary school, I wrote letters to James Howe (Bunnicula) and Tad Williams (Tailchaser's Song) and both authors wrote back! That definitely helped inspire me. My sister and I also scripted and recorded "radio shows," including dramas, comedies, game shows, commercials, and talk shows. I've always loved telling stories and reading stories.

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RNSL: Your second novel, High & Dry, has just hit the shelves. What do you like the most about releasing a book out into the world?

SS: It's exhilarating to see a book "in the wild" of brick-and-mortar bookstores, and to speak on panels with other authors because I love hearing about their experiences.

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RNSL: My friend Kimberly @thewindypages recently tweeted: "High and Dry by @Sarah_Skilton is fun noir you don’t want to miss. Makes me want to read some [Raymond] Chandler or watch Brick”. Did either of these actually inspire the book?

SS: Yep! I was a big fan of Brick, and of the TV show Veronica Mars. I also read tons of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett stories and watched my favorite 1940s and 1950s films (such as In a Lonely Place starring Humphrey Bogart, based on the short story by Dorothy B. Hughes) to prepare for writing High and Dry.

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RNSL: What are you working on next?

SS: I've written a third contemporary YA, and I'm also working on an adult book.

Quick-fire questions!

RNSL: It's the middle of the night. You can't sleep! What do you do instead?

SS: I actually sleep very well (confession: I go to bed extremely early!!) but when my son was born, sleep was a laughable concept. To unwind, I would watch episodes of Millionaire Matchmaker or Doomsday Preppers. I inexplicably found them comforting.

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RNSL: You're in a buffet that claims to serve everything you could ever want to eat. What's on your plate?

SS: Nutella and bacon crepes stacked to the ceiling, with a side of strawberries and mangos.

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RNSL: Is there a book out there that you read and then thought to yourself, "I wish I'd written that!"

SS: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith


Framed for a stranger’s near-fatal overdose at a party, blackmailed into finding a mysterious flash drive everyone in school seems anxious to suppress, and pressured by his shady best friend to throw an upcoming match, high school soccer player Charlie Dixon is juggling more than his share of drama. Add in a broken heart and the drinking he’s been doing to soothe it, and he’s near the breaking point.

In this fast-paced, layered mystery, Charlie spends a frantic week trying to clear his name, win back the girl of his dreams, and escape a past friendship that may be responsible for all his current problems. This book captures the tone and style of the best crime fiction while also telling a high-stakes story of peer pressure gone tragically awry.



May 2nd: Spotlight on Jessica Brody -- What A Nerd Girl Says
May 3rd: Spotlight on Elana K. Arnold -- Nite Lite Book Reviews
May 4th: Spotlight on Catherine Linka – Fangirl Feeels
May 5th: Spotlight on Livia Blackburne -- The Thousand Lives
May 6th: Spotlight on Lauren Kate -- She Reads She Blogs
May 7th: Spotlight on Katie Alender -- Movies, Shows and Books
May 8th: Spotlight on Lauren Miller -- A Bookish Escape
May 9th: Spotlight on Sarah Skilton -- Read Now Sleep Later
May 10th: Spotlight on Lissa Price -- Recently Acquired Obsessions
May 11th: Spotlight on Jessi Kirby -- What A Nerd Girl Says
May 12th: Spotlight on Katherine Ewell -- iFandoms Collide
May 13th: Spotlight on Mary Pearson -- The Windy Pages
May 14th: Spotlight on John Corey Whaley -- Read Now Sleep Later
May 15th: Spotlight on Robin Benway -- Adventures of a Book Junkie
May 16th: Spotlight on Ava Dellaira -- Fangirl Feeels

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